Toddler bound, beaten, starved allegedly by stepmother and father

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PAW PAW, MI.-- A stepmother sits in jail, accused in the torturous death of her three-year-old stepdaughter.

The death so horrific, it sparked silent protests at the Van Buren County Courthouse.

"The deceased minor had ligature marks on her wrists, hands, neck, and ankles. It appeared as though she had been bound," recounts a Michigan judge, as her voice cracks.

The tearful judge was attempting to describe how three-year-old Sophia Ernst-Kucsera died.

"Kate George admitted that Sophia had been strapped into her car seat for over 24 hours without food or water," continues the judge.

The toddler was bound and already dead by the time that her step-mom, George, called 9-1-1.

Sophia's grandmother suspects it was 14 hours after she died.

George is now behind bars on a $5 million bond for a murder charge and her role in Sophia's death.

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Video Courtesy Van Buren County Courthouse

"She also admitted she tied Sophia's hands and feet with a cord from a pair of earbuds, placed socks in her mouth, and taped her mouth shut with the socks still in her mouth," the judge reads. "Kate stated she had checked on Sophia several times before she died."

"Sophia had not slept for several days and was disruptive to the rest of the family," says the judge. "Corey Kucsera admitted they strapped her in the car seat so she would not go downstairs or kick or hit the wall."